


A Treatise on the Defense of Arendelle

by frequencyshift



Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Arendelle, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Gen, Military Jargon, Scenarios, Sibling Bonding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-10
Updated: 2014-01-19
Packaged: 2018-01-08 05:46:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1129045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frequencyshift/pseuds/frequencyshift
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"We the foresigned do present the following data, scenarios, and suggested actions and precautions for the safety of the Kingdom of Arendelle and its ruling family, led by Queen Elsa III. If approved, steps will be taken to immediately implement the various suggestions introduced in this document. All items are considered optional, with various levels of recommendation noted under each section. Please reference the latest defense protocols for standard operating procedures currently in place."</p><p>Elsa looked up from the thick sheaf of papers in her hand, doing her very best to not gape at the members of her council.</p><p>"Is there some threat that you're not telling me about?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. "A Note by the Authors on the Subsequent Scenarios"

 

A TREATISE ON THE DEFENSE OF ARENDELLE

Signed by

  * Admiral Bergen Skarsgard, Royal Arendelle Fleet
  * Sergeant Edgar Dorfman, Royal Arendelle Marine Force
  * Captain Skaldi Hemsdir, Royal Foresters
  * Captain Annick Jorgen, Royal Guard



   We the foresigned do present the following data, scenarios, and suggested actions and precautions for the safety of the Kingdom of Arendelle and its ruling family, led by Queen Elsa III. If approved, steps will be taken to immediately implement the various suggestions introduced in this document. All items are considered optional, with various levels of recommendation noted under each section. Please reference the latest defense protocols for standard operating procedures currently in place.

\---

Elsa looked up from the thick sheaf of papers in her hand, doing her very best to not gape at the members of her council.

"Is there some threat that you're not telling me about?" she asked, glancing down at the document again.

"No, your majesty," Captain Hemsdir replied. She had obviously been nominated by the other members of the defense council to speak on their behalf. Elsa had previously had little contact with the woman, the foresters often away from the castle monitoring the vast tracts of land claimed by Arendelle. "It is common to review Arendelle's defense plan every few years, to account for changing political alliances and current inventories. With your recent coronation, and in light of events… we thought it best."

Sergeant Dorfman grunted in agreement. "It's bad enough, the business with the Southern Isles."

Elsa winced, then scowled. The room cooled slightly.

"We don't want to have to worry for the kingdom and its ruler like that again," the sergeant continued, ignoring the queen's discomfort.

After a moment, Elsa took a deep breath. "Alright," she conceded. "But Father had me look at our defense plan during my lessons." She flipped the pages of the document before her. "This isn't it. Fairly large for an addendum, isn't it?"

The four council members looked between themselves. "Your majesty," Hemsdir replied, her voice firm. "We all have agreed that our current defense plan is more than adequate. Should you disagree with the entirety of what we propose in this treatise, barring some adjustments that would need to be made due to the change in our trade status with both the Southern Isles and Weselton, we would likely be perfectly fine."

Captain Jorgen scowled fiercely. As leader of the Royal Guard, Elsa knew he felt the most guilt over the turn of events. His inability to protect the queen during the Freeze, to protect Princess Anna, grated on the man.

"However," Hemsdir continued, eyeing the guard captain. "We feel that steps can be taken to greatly improve our situation. It's still early enough that the widespread repercussions of events have yet to come to light, but we would rather be prepared for it now than scrambling to figure it out when it's spiraling out of control."

"There's no immediate rush," Admiral Skarsgard added, noting the temperature had started to dip again as Elsa looked more and more nervous. "We don't ask that you decide this moment, it would do none of us any good. After you have read over it, discussed it with those you feel can give you the best advice, we can reconvene. Then you may inform us of whether you wish to implement any of it, or toss the entire thing on the fire." He shrugged.

A breath Elsa didn't even know she had been holding eased out of her. "Very well," she stated, standing up. "Unless you have anything else, we'll end for now."

The sound of chairs scraping against the floor filled the room, as the council hastily got to their feet. "Your majesty," the four said in unison, bowing as she swept out of the room.

Elsa moved down the hall, staring at the document in her hands. It made her nervous, to think about her country under siege by another. So far, her rule had been relatively smooth. Barring the Freeze, that is. After her parents had died, Elsa had met with the various councils once a month to ensure that things ran smoothly, her gloved hands tightly clasped in her lap as the safety and well being of her country was accomplished with no interference from its heir apparent. After the Freeze, she had become much more involved, but by and large it had been dealings with agriculture, taxes, trade and the like. The defense council had been mostly quiet, with the exception of a request for more funds in order to pay new recruits.

It seemed they had been too busy drafting this to bother her beforehand. Or perhaps they had just wanted to wait until she seemed more settled in her role. It wasn't a point Elsa wished to clarify, seeing as it was largely moot.

With a sigh, she headed to her study, determined to go through some of it before lunchtime.

\---

 

**Inventory & Personnel**

Royal Arendelle Fleet

1   Man-Of-War  
     -86 guns  
        -3 at the bow  
        -7 at the stern  
        -38 port  
        -38 starboard  
     -480 crew  
        -70 officers  
        -410 enlisted  
2   Frigates  
     -44 guns  
        -2 at the bow  
        -2 at the stern  
        -20 port  
        -20 starboard  
     -210 crew  
        -38 officers  
        -172 enlisted  
4   Sloops-of-War  
     -18 guns  
        -1 at the bow  
        -3 at the stern  
        -7 port  
        -7 starboard  
     -112 crew  
        -14 officers  
        -98 enlisted  
6   Cutters  
     -6 guns  
        -All guns are movable  
     -44 crew  
        -4 officers  
        -40 enlisted

 

   Currently all ships are outfitted with one-months emergency provisions. Below are requests for further provisions, in line with the increase of personnel in the past six months. The requests are as follows:

\---

"Hey, what're you reading?"

Elsa jumped, the papers on her desk moving slightly as she knocked into them. "Anna!" she gasped, clutching a hand to her chest. "You're back! You startled me."

The princess grinned sheepishly, easing into the study. "Sorry," she said sheepishly. "It's just, you missed lunch. Again. When I asked Gerda, she said you haven't been out of your study in hours, so I thought I'd come check on you."

The queen blinked owlishly at her sister, before looking out the window. The sun had long since passed the zenith, and was halfway to the horizon. "Oh," she said softly. Her stomach chose that moment to growl.

Anna giggled, then stuck her head out the door. "Gerda," she called, and the elderly servant entered carrying a tray laden with food. She stood there, eyeing the queen fondly. "You might want to clear a spot on your desk," Anna offered, not wanting to touch the mostly neat piles there. She knew she would just mess them up.

Elsa immediately jumped up, clearing off the edge of her desk. Gerda placed the tray down with a solid thunk, gave a curtsey, and backed out the door.

"Anna, this is enough food to feed an army," the queen said, eyeing the tray.

"Good! Then you might actually eat enough for once," Anna teased, flopping down into a chair. "I was too late for lunch, so I figured we could eat together." She reached out, snagging some bread and butter.

Elsa did the same, lading it with slices of meat. "Did you have fun with Kristoff?" she asked, trying not to stuff too much food in her mouth at once.

Anna had less qualms. "Yeah," she said, a few crumbs flying out. She blushed, then worked quickly to swallow. "We went and checked out the southern township, talked to Goodman Welker. Things are running smoothly there, the winter hasn't been too hard on them." She grinned. "They even had a little party last night. Kristoff still can't dance."

Humming her approval, Elsa reached over her desk to quickly jot a note to herself. "Good," she said. "That means most of the outlying settlements have been visited. Barring the bandit issue in the west, it seems things are running smoothly." She turned to look at the map of the kingdom on the wall, eyes tracing the areas left for an official visit.

Anna and Kristoff were not the only ones going out to the various small settlements that littered the kingdom. For one, there were too many of them. There were also several that were more than a day away, and Elsa didn't like her sister being gone overnight, let alone for longer. They'd fought over it, briefly, but Anna had caved surprisingly easily. The fact that when she was home she rarely left Elsa's side gave a clue as to why.

Elsa looked down at the document she had been reading all morning. Her brow furrowed. "Anna," she said softly. "You and Kristoff needn't continue on with the visits. Let the foresters and guardsman finish up; rest a bit. We'll just have to start over in a few months anyway, you can pick up again later."

The young princess frowned. "Where did that come from?" she asked, setting her makeshift sandwich down. "You were fine with us going to Esgard at the end of the week, before we left. What changed?"

She could lie. Anna would probably see through it, but Elsa had learned her sister was reluctant to fight right after she'd returned from a trip, needing to get used to Elsa not running away again. Anna would let her get away with it, for now, and Elsa was very good at dodging questions when needed, so they wouldn't talk about it again.

It would kill her, though, to erect even the smallest barrier between them. So the queen sighed, and handed the top page over to her sister.

"'A Treatise on the Defense of Arendelle'?" Anna read aloud. "What's this?"

"I met with the defense council this morning," Elsa explained, her hands wringing together without her notice. "They gave me this, asked me to look it over." She gave a sigh, sinking down slightly into her seat. "It's what I've been reading all morning. My head is swimming with inventory figures and statistics."

Anna winced, handing the page back over before picking her sandwich up again. "So now you're all defense-minded, and worried about me," she surmised, grinning when her sister smiled sheepishly. "I get it! I do. But I think it's really important that we visit the townships, and I like doing it." She paused, thinking. "Would it make you feel better if Kristoff and I brought a couple of guards?"

The relief on the queen's face made a rush of warmth go through Anna. "Yes, very much so," Elsa breathed, slumping in her seat. "I was being truthful, though, we're almost done. So please, Anna, Esgard is the last? For now?"

A quick nod brought a smile to Elsa's face.

"So what else does it say?" Anna asked, taking another enormous bite of her sandwich.

Elsa's eyes narrowed slightly as she quickly flipped through the pages she had already looked at. "So far all I've read are numbers, and a brief overview of our currently implemented defenses. Scout locations, emergency food supplies, that sort of thing."

"Bo-ring," Anna sang, rolling her eyes. "How is it you missed lunch reading _that_?"

Elsa reached for her drink, swallowing the lukewarm tea with a large gulp. "It's boring in a fascinating way?" She wrinkled her brow as she thought. "Or fascinating in a boring way. Hard to say which." She waved her hand in dismissal. "I've read the in-depth report before, so none of this is exactly new, but there have been changes in the past six months. I approved them all, but I haven't had a chance before to see the big picture." She gave a small, self-deprecating chuckle. "Something I need to work on."

The princess scowled at her, quickly rising to her feet and moving to crouch next to her sister. "Hey," she said fiercely. "Stop. You are doing an amazing job, everyone thinks so! I hear them when they think I can't."

"So you eavesdrop," the queen deadpanned.

"Besides the point," Anna continued. "None of the ministers are complaining, which _is_ my point."

Elsa reached out her hand, the barest hint of hesitation as she gently cupped Anna's cheek. The girl responded by leaning into it, smiling at the other woman. "Thank you," Elsa said softly, rubbing her thumb across smooth skin. "While I don't necessarily approve of you listening in on other's conversations, I know you just have my best interests at heart."

"I love you," Anna replied. Her tone was so honest and open, it caused tears to spring to Elsa's eyes. "So I'll do whatever I have to in order to ensure that people see the real you, and that you're safe and loved." She grinned, but her eyes were steely. "That includes eavesdropping. And telling you when you're being silly, thinking that you're not the best person for the job of being queen." Anna's nose wrinkled. "Can you imagine if _I_ had been born first? What a disaster!"

Elsa laughed, and pulled her sister into a hug. "You would be an amazing queen," she murmured into the girl's ear. "I'm so glad I have you here to help me."

Arms wrapped tightly around the queen, Anna held her close, face buried in her sister's loosely braided hair. "I'm not going anywhere, and neither are you," she said.

After a long moment, they both moved away, brilliant smiles on both their faces. "Hey, Anna," Elsa asked, her eyes sparkling.

"Yes, Elsa?" Anna replied.

"Do you wanna build a snowman?"

The castle rang with shrieks of laughter as two young women tore down the halls, soft flurries of snow eddying in their wake.

\---

"Read me a bedtime story, Elsa," Anna asked sleepily, burrowing under the covers of her sister's bed. Her strawberry-blonde hair was loose, and already getting messy as she tossed about finding the most comfortable position possible.

They tended to share a bed when Anna was home. While Anna was away, Elsa had no problem sleeping by herself, and Anna fared well when visiting the townships. But if both were in the castle, the late hours would find the two sleeping restlessly. Anna specifically was prone to nightmares, although occasionally Elsa would wake up with her room completely iced over. Even if they started the night apart, morning would find them snuggled under the covers together, peacefully oblivious to the world outside.

Elsa looked up from her armchair, where she had curled up with the treatise. "I need to get through this, Anna," she said apologetically. "I'm sure I'll need to talk to the council members about this individually before we discuss it in full."

Anna grumped, but didn't say anything. Silence reigned for the next hour, until the queen sighed and set a page on the side table. "Finally," she muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Finally what?" Anna asked, rolling over to look at her sister. "Are you done?"

Surprised that Anna was still awake, Elsa gave her a tired smile. "I finished with the itemized requests. All that's left are the scenarios."

Anna perked up at that. "Scenarios?"

The queen hummed in affirmation, flipping through the remaining pages. "It looks like there are five. One each from the RAF, RAMF, and Foresters. Two from the Guard." She went back to the beginning. "Interesting, I don't remember there being scenarios in the old defense plan."

"Read it to me?" Anna asked, causing Elsa to look at her in surprise. "I mean, it's not Grimm's Fairy Tales, but it's better than nothing." She blushed faintly, pulling the covers up to partially hide her head. "I sleep better when I hear your voice," drifted from the confines of the comforter.

Elsa felt her cheeks heat up as well, and cleared her throat to get rid of the sudden lump that formed. "A-alright," she stammered. "I'm sure it will put you to sleep in just a few moments, though."

Anna didn't reply, her teal eyes simply gazing out of the nest she had formed to watch as the queen resettled herself.

"'A Note by the Authors on the Subsequent Scenarios…

"'As ordered by His Majesty King Aren I, and affirmed by all of his descendants, the duties of the Defense Council is to plan for any eventuality that may befall the Kingdom of Arendelle. We are also tasked to utilize all resources and assets to the best of our abilities, and leave no option unexplored.'"

Elsa shifted in her chair, a small sense of foreboding rising in her.

"'Therefore, all of us have agreed that Queen Elsa III of Arendelle represents an asset too valuable to ignore. As such, the following scenarios are based off of potential reactions supported by the royal family, in all aspects. While we have a small grasp on the levels and limits of the ability to manipulate and create ice that Queen Elsa holds, these are put forward with the information we have based off of observation. As stipulated, these are all hypothetical and as such no actions are required to be taken. If chosen to be implemented, they may be modified to reflect the actual capabilities presented.'"

Elsa fell silent, gaping at the words on the page. Slowly, the chair she sat in became covered in frost, and the page in her hand grew stiff as it iced over.

"They want to turn me into a weapon?" Elsa asked, disbelief in her voice as she read over the words again.

"No," Anna spoke up, having directed her full attention to the words Elsa read as the point became clear. "They want to turn you into the worlds largest mother hen."

The queen blinked, and then burst into laughter. Anna joined her, sitting up in bed as she giggled. The ice slowly receded.

"But seriously, I don't think they're asking you to be hurt anyone," Anna said. "I mean, not really. They want you to defend people, to protect everyone."

Elsa looked down at her hands, at the paper wilting as it came free of ice. "How am I supposed to turn this into something that protects?" she asked, fear still sparking in her eyes.

Anna smiled softly at her, and scrambled forward until she was perched on the edge of the bed. "Isn't that what you did for thirteen years, Elsa? Protect everyone?"

"From me!" Elsa exclaimed, desperation lacing her voice.

The scowl that came over Anna's face startled the queen, causing her to shrink into the chair she sat in.

"You know, I love Father very much," Anna said heatedly. "But he's an idiot." She paused. "Was an idiot. Whatever." She turned to look at the painting of him that graced her sister's wall. "I mean, it's partly Grandpabbie's fault too, and I've talked to him about it. What kind of troll tells a little girl that fear will be her downfall, and not clarify that he means fear of the power and _not_ fear of what it could do? You were _eight_!"

Elsa had never thought of it that way. She had not gone to see the trolls again, although Kristoff had graciously invited her. The memory of that night was still strong, and she had always assumed that he had been telling her exactly that - that her powers were to be feared, that it could only hurt others.

"That's certainly how Father read it too, otherwise he never would have given you that _stupid_ mantra," Anna continued heatedly. "But anyone with even a bit of knowledge about modern engineering would know that telling you to bottle it up would never, ever work. Didn't his tutors teach him anything?"

The confusion that suddenly raced through Elsa was enough to leave her dizzy. "Forgive me, Anna," she said after a moment. "But what does engineering have to do with my powers?"

Anna blushed slightly, her glare softening. "I had plenty of spare time as a kid," she said. "I read a lot of books in the library." She paused. "Like, all of them."

Elsa gaped at her. " _All_ of them?"

"What?" Anna replied defensively. "I'm not saying I understood everything I read - and okay, I didn't actually read a lot of the foreign books, my grasp of everything but French is terrible - but I read pretty much everything I could get my hands on." She shrugged, then continued. "I remember, when I was reading about the kingdom of Corona, they mentioned the dam there. I was intrigued, so I found a book about them tucked in a corner." A fond smile came over her face. "Gerda was livid when I mucked in her herb garden, trying to build one in the small creek that ran through it."

She could just see it, Elsa mused. Anna, covered in mud, accidentally diverting a flood of water through the kitchen gardens. She giggled.

Anna smiled wryly. "Anyway, one of the things the book talked about was sluice gates. They're used to ensure that the water doesn't overflow or break the dam from the pressure buildup. You can hold the water back, but eventually you either have to let some of it go through or it's going to burst. The sluice gates let you control it."

Suddenly, Elsa knew where she was going. "Papa always told me I could never let it show."

Anna nodded. "He tried to have you build a dam without any sluice gates. Of course you were going to leak uncontrollably and eventually burst."

Elsa burst into laughter, startling the other girl. "I think that's the first time I've been compared to a faulty bit of engineering," she said with a grin.

Anna shook her head fiercely, causing her hair to fly everywhere. "No! That's not what I'm saying." She reached out over the gap between the bed and her sister, grabbing her cold hand. "I'm saying you're the river. Beautiful, and wild, and unwilling to be caged. Tamed, a little, but not caged."

She was blushing again, Elsa realized. Anna always did that to her.

"If you had practiced with it, learned how to use it, we never would have gotten into the position we did," Anna finished, looking down at their entwined hands. "It's his fault."

Slowly, Elsa shook her head. "Not entirely," she said softly. "I was scared too. I'd hurt you, Anna. You could have died, if Papa hadn't known about the trolls. I was more than willing to be stashed away from everyone, if it meant I could never do it again." She sighed. "I even pushed them away, scared I would do it again."

"So you're all stupid," Anna replied. "Apparently I'm the only smart one in the family." She blinked. "Oh lord we're all doomed."

She was never quite sure if Anna was trying, or it just happened naturally, but Elsa couldn't help but laugh again.

"Come on, let's go to bed," Anna insisted, pulling on her sister's hand. "You can read over all the awesome things the council thinks you can do tomorrow. I'll even do it with you."

It took only a moment for Elsa to concede. "Alright, scooch over."

Anna moved willingly, practically hauling the other girl after her. She threw the blanket over the both of them, then latched onto Elsa, burying her face in her sister's neck.

"My little leech," Elsa teased, wrapping her arms around the younger girl.

"Get used to it," Anna mumbled, and felt the queen's body relax in her arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there you have it. My first foray into this fandom, and mostly because I'm fascinated with the tactical situations Elsa's powers could result in. This is because I got so frustrated with a story where Arendelle was being attacked by a naval power, and Elsa was warned ahead of time, and she didn't _do_ anything (I stopped reading it because I was thrown out of the story, and I don't remember the story title, but if you dredge through FFnet you'd probably find it... eventually). You could argue that, as a recluse, Elsa is just not tactically minded. However, this is why a government isn't run by one person - she must have some sort of defense council! Just as she would have a trade minister, and an agricultural minister, and all the other people who help a kingdom run smoothly. Then I started thinking about steps could have been taken, and realized that if I didn't commit it to paper it would bug me incessantly.
> 
> But I realized that no one would want to read a dry military-type document. Well, maybe someone, but I didn't much want to write one. I just wanted to write the scenarios, without having to draft up an entire document on the current assets of the kingdom. So I decided to do this instead.
> 
> I haven't decided how much Elsanna I'm going to have in the story. The plan is for them to have figured it out by the end, but this is going to be a slow burn, so don't expect much more than what I've given you in this chapter. It's all about the tactics, baby *grin*
> 
> Also, I think it's kind of awesome to have Anna be all into STEM, and having the two of them discussing it just makes me swoon!
> 
>  
> 
> Next Chapter: "Scenario 1: Fleet Invasion of Arendelle Township"


	2. Scenario 1: Fleet Invasion of Arendelle Township

It was a well known fact that Anna loved to sleep in. Elsa recalled hearing the servants knocking on her sister's door while growing up, often just shy of lunchtime, informing the girl that she needed to vacate her room if she wanted to eat before supper.

Of course, after the drawdown of servants, there had been no one to notice that Anna would often stay up very late into the night, back against Elsa's door as she would talk about her day, all the things she had seen and done, and how couldn't Elsa just come out, even just to say hello?

Elsa had stayed up as well, listening to Anna spin stories until both girls were smothering yawns, separated only by the thick oak door. So while she often was up with the sun, required to conduct business before she had even finished her morning coffee, Elsa loved to sleep in too.

Today, cracking her eyes open to see the light of dawn filtering in through the thick glass, Elsa debated on staying in bed. No one in the palace needed her this morning, and as queen certainly no one would dare to question her desire to spend her time lounging underneath the covers. She stretched slightly, and turned to look at her sister.

Anna was fast asleep, head pillowed on Elsa's shoulder. She was drooling slightly, which the queen couldn't help but find both gross and adorable, considering it was on her. The strawberry blonde was no longer completely wrapped around her, instead draped on top like a blanket. Her arm was firmly wedged up underneath Elsa's breasts, hand tangled in the fabric of the queen's nightshirt. Elsa's right arm was completely ensconced between their bodies. In addition, Anna's leg was draped over both of Elsa's, essentially trapping her in place.

And she was _hot_. The warmth from her body was almost oppressive, and Elsa knew her face was flushed. She wouldn't have changed it for the world.

"Why'reyake," Anna suddenly mumbled, her nose twitching. She always seemed to sense when Elsa was gazing at her.

"I'm sorry, I'm not sure that you were speaking any proper language," Elsa teased slightly, already feeling herself wake up further. If she didn't go back to sleep soon, her plans for a lazy morning would be shot.

Anna grunted, peeling one sleep-crusted eye open. "Why're you awake?" she managed to ask again, her voice low and raspy. "…'s early."

It was. Disgustingly so. Elsa sighed, moving her free hand to place it on top the arm Anna had draped over her. She patted it gently. "Habit," she said.

Anna made another noise of disgust, then burrowed into Elsa more. Her body tightened, drawing the queen closer to her. "Nooo," she whined. "Don't get up."

Elsa wanted to agree, wanted more than anything to just go back to sleep with her human blanket keeping her warm. But her eyes were open, widely so, and she knew it wouldn't happen. As well, now that she was awake, she would start to feel trapped by Anna's sleeping body. She was always worried that her movements would wake her sister, which left her tense and uncomfortable after a short period of time.

"Sorry, Anna," she said instead, and gently moved Anna's arm from around her. After a brief moment where it seemed that the girl would refuse to let her go, Anna went limp instead, a small whimper sounding in her throat. Easing off the bed, Elsa watched as Anna grabbed her pillow, mashing it against her body as a poor consolation prize. She leaned down, placing a soft kiss on the girl's forehead, before heading to the ensuite.

\---

Several hours later, Elsa found herself drifting awake to the sensation of a hand running through her bangs. She mumbled sleepily, turning her head to burrow into the warmth that was near her arm.

"You know, you could have just stayed in bed with me," a voice drifted down to her, the tone vaguely amused. "Now you've been asleep at your desk for who knows how long, and I just _bet_ your back is going to hurt as soon as you sit up."

"Anna?" Elsa said softly, slowly peeling her eyes open. She blushed when she realized that the warmth she had burrowed into was Anna's thigh, the girl having hopped up to sit on the desk next to the sleeping queen. Slowly, Elsa sat up, wincing as her back did in fact seize up. "Ow."

Anna giggled, and rolled her eyes before hopping to her feet. "Turn that way," she ordered, forcefully grabbing the queen's shoulders and moving her so that Anna was directly behind Elsa. Before the older girl could ask what was going on, Anna dropped to her knees and reached out, kneading Elsa's lower back with her hands.

"Oh," Elsa sighed, slumping slightly into the feeling. Anna wasn't putting a lot of pressure on her back, a consequence of the layers of cloth between them. Still, it felt marvelous, and Elsa thought if she'd been a cat she would have started to purr.

It only lasted a few minutes, then Anna got to her feet again, hands settling on Elsa's shoulders as she leaned forward to whisper into Elsa's ear, "Better?"

The low hum that escaped the queen had them flushing, but the smiles on both their faces were bright when Elsa turned towards her sister. "Thank you," Elsa said sincerely, placing one hand over her sister's and squeezing gently.

"Should have stayed in bed," Anna stated again, lifting herself back onto her perch on the desk. "How long were you out?"

Elsa squinted at the clock nearby. "About an hour," she admitted, noticing it was almost lunchtime. "I just got done talking with Mayor Helfort, he'd left me with a list of the various complaints he and the sheriff have received in the past month."

Anna kicked her feet slightly, drumming her heels against the solid wood. "Anything exciting?" She grinned, and tried to turn her expression sinister. She failed spectacularly, drawing a chuckle from the older girl. "Any plots against the royal family? Someone want to steal Olaf's nose?"

"Indeed," Elsa said, struggling to keep a straight face. "Apparently, some shifty-looking reindeer has been asking around about the provenance of said nose."

"Sven isn't shifty-looking!" Anna gasped, lightly smacking Elsa's arm. "Everyone knows it's Kristoff who's shifty. _Sven_ is the respectable one."

A pause, and then the two dissolved into giggles, unable to help themselves. Anna almost fell off the table, she was laughing so hard, but Elsa quickly reached out to steady her.

"My sides hurt," Anna finally gasped, letting go of Elsa as she finally caught her breath and her balance.

"Mine too," Elsa responded, still giggling slightly. At that moment, her stomach growled. "And I'm hungry. Lunch?"

"Sure!" Anna said, pulling her sister up out of the chair. She hugged her tightly, then let go, grabbing Elsa's hand as she headed to the door. "Afterwards, we can sit down and go through those scenarios."

So caught up in the quiet enjoyment of having Anna's hand in hers - a feeling she still wasn't used to, even after six months - Elsa almost didn't catch the girl's statement. "Wait, what?"

Anna rolled her eyes, but she squeezed Elsa's hand. After thirteen years of separation, she was determined to get as much hand-holding in as possible, even if it did tend to startle them both. "The defense council thing. I said I would go over it with you."

Elsa opened her mouth, to protest that Anna didn't really have to, then paused. She remembered the perspective Anna had given her last night, how it had eased her mind to have Anna interpret the situation in ways other than Elsa was naturally inclined to. Anna thought only the best of Elsa and her power, and the queen valued her for that. For so much more than that, truthfully. Plus, it couldn't hurt, and they would get to spend some more time together.

"Okay," Elsa said finally. "We'll get Gerda to keep us supplied with tea and cookies. But if you get bored and want to do something else, you just let me know, alright? There's no need for both of us to have to sit through this if you don't want to."

Anna laughed. "If you switch the tea to hot chocolate, I'm sure I'll be more than happy to stay," she replied with a wink.

\---

 

**Scenario 1: Fleet Invasion of Arendelle Township**

   This scenario was drafted by Admiral Bergen Skarsgard, Royal Arendelle Fleet (RAF), and Sergeant Edgar Dorfman, Royal Arendelle Marine Force (RAMF).  
   In this scenario, we will presume that those who are invading us are a foreign nation not unlike Weselton, considering they are the closest major naval power in the region. As such, we will be using terms associated with the Weselton Royal Armada (WAR), and the Weselton Royal Armada Naval Infantry (NIWAR). This is a scenario only, and should not construed as an opinion by the defense council on the likelihood of an attempted invasion by Weselton on the Kingdom of Arendelle.

\---

Anna looked up from her cup of hot chocolate, absently blowing on it. "Is that likely?"

"Hmm?" Elsa looked up from the document in her hand, reaching for her own cup.

"That Weselton would try to invade," Anna asked, settling further into her seat. "I mean, I can't imagine they're too happy with us right now."

Elsa instinctively looked at the map on the wall, studying the contours that made up the various kingdoms that surrounded hers. "They might," she admitted. "It's highly unlikely, though. As you may or may not remember, the dignitaries who were visiting at… my coronation," she paused, stumbling a bit over the words. "They were quite displeased to have been played for fools by Prince Hans and the Duke. While the ruling monarchs may feel otherwise, it would be a bad turn of face to support Weselton in any venture against us. We should have a few more years before Weselton will feel they might attack us without repercussion." She took a sip of her hot chocolate. "Of course, by that point we should have cemented our relationships with the others, if everything goes according to plan."

Anna nodded, studying the map as well. "And if it doesn't?" she asked softly.

"That's why we have a defense plan, Anna," Elsa replied wryly. "I would be a very foolhardy ruler if I didn't allow that things could maybe not go my way."

The other girl scowled. "That sucks," she said, eliciting a laugh from her sister. "Well, alright. Keep reading, I want to hear what the council thinks you should do to the Duke of Weaseltown."

Elsa tsked at Anna, but her eyes were twinkling. "Alright, let's see…"

\---

   It is unlikely the WAR would make the journey to Arendelle in the winter months. While the fjord is protected from floating icebergs, the waters further out are not as fortunate. There are currently only three icebreakers in the WAR fleet, which would be enough for a raid. However, taking into account the unknown quantity that is Queen Elsa's powers, it is unlikely that any force would attempt an invasion with less than a full army. As such, we can realistically place any attempt during the late spring or early summer months.  
   A force of five Man-Of-Wars, seven Frigates, six Sloops and two Cutters would be expected, carrying a total of three thousand crewmembers. An additional NIWAR force consisting of four to six thousand would also be likely, bringing the total number of personnel to approximately seven thousand. Against our current manpower, we would be outnumbered three or four to one, and our vessels two to one.  
   Additionally, if proved successful, troop barges carrying an additional five to eight thousand troops would arrive within a week.

\---

"That many?!"

"Weselton has deep pockets," Elsa replied. "A large number of their military units would be augmented with mercenaries. It's part of the problem, really. Weselton has built up its defense so much that they have problems providing for them. A portion of their budget goes to the military, which leaves less for the people. It's why losing our trade hurts them so much, even as small as it is."

Anna frowned. "So why don't they just send them all home? Tell them to be farmers again, or whatever they did before?"

Elsa sighed, and ran a hand over her hair. "Soldiers tend to like being soldiers, especially mercenaries. Weselton has taken a different tactic, instead. They throw them at the indigent populace of far off lands, trying to discover treasure and hoping to kill off as many of their own soldiers as they can at the same time. A death purse is cheaper than a salary, in their eyes, and they don't even have to pay that for the mercenaries."

"That's horrible!" Anna cried, looking deeply upset.

Elsa got up from her chair, moving over to the small couch her sister had settled on. She nudged at Anna's legs, which the girl obligingly lifted so that the queen could slide under them. She grabbed a blanket from the arm of the couch, and pulled it over the both of them before settling the document on top. "It is," the queen finally said. "It's also not a tactic solely used by them. A lot of countries do it, unfortunately, especially in times of economic downturn."

Anna blinked away the moisture that had started to form in her eyes, comforted by her sister's closeness. "We haven't…"

"No," Elsa said firmly. "Arendelle is small, now. We certainly couldn't field an offensive army. Centuries ago, before we lost land to our neighbors, we maybe would have been large enough to end up resorting to those sorts of tactics eventually." She looked to the wall, pointing at the mountains that made up a large portion of the kingdom. "We're fortunate we have such large, mostly inhospitable land. Arendelle breeds tough men and women who can live in them, but that's not true of others. It's the only reason we weren't swallowed whole three hundred years ago."

"You sound like my history tutor," Anna teased lightly. "He would just keep going, and going..."

Elsa reached over and tweaked Anna's nose, gaining a slight squeal of protest for her efforts. "Hush, you. For someone who supposedly read every book in the library, I'm surprised you aren't telling _me_ this."

"I like listening to you talk," Anna replied with a shrug, voice slightly muffled as she rubbed at her nose. "Even if it's something I already know."

Elsa blushed furiously at that, which just made Anna grin at her. "You're awful," the queen hissed, but her smile belied her irritation.

"If it makes you feel better, I only knew the bit about our lands, and not about Weselton's soldiers," Anna said. "I'm glad that we don't do things like that."

"Me too," Elsa said honestly. "I don't like to think of what would come of me if I had been raised in a warmongering family."

An uneasy silence fell over them. After a moment, Elsa cleared her throat, picking up the document once more.

\---

Please refer to the official map of Arendelle Township and surrounding areas for reference.

   Due to the location of the Township on the mouth of the fjord, there is little chance of a direct invasion remaining hidden from sight upon reaching the southern coast of Arendelle. Lookouts are posted along the coast, and it is unlikely a large force could remain undetected after reaching two _sjomil_ during the day. As such, they would likely do their best to approach at night, attempting to surprise Arendelle with a dawn attack.  
   Following the worst case scenario, we will assume that they have succeeded in drawing within one _kvartmil_ before being spotted.  
   Based on previous events, it is assumed that only line of sight is required for Queen Elsa to utilize her abilities. Barring that eventuality, we would place a cutter at the castle. In the event of an invasion, her majesty would be escorted to either the battlements or the cutter, where she would proceed to freeze the waters of the fjord, halting the advance of ships. If unable to completely freeze the waters, focusing at the area around the vessels to stop them would potentially suffice.

\---

"I don't know if I could freeze the fjord again," Elsa said quietly, looking down at her hands. "Not on purpose, anyway. I'm not even sure how I did it to begin with."

Anna shifted slightly, leaning forward to grab one of her sister's hands. "You didn't just freeze the fjord, Elsa," she said calmly. "You brought winter. Everything was buried in a foot of snow, the fjord was frozen solid, and the wind blew constantly."

At every word, Elsa sank further into herself, her gaze stubbornly fixed downwards.

"That was while panicking," Anna added, rubbing her thumb over the back of Elsa's hand. "Which was a result of a lot of things coming to together in one giant mess, courtesy of me."

"Anna," Elsa said, finally looking up. She was surprised to see the smile on her sister's face.

"I know, I know, it wasn't my fault. I mean, yeah, it was. But no more so than anything else." Anna's smile widened. "It's okay! Remember what I talked about last night? The dam?"

Elsa nodded.

"That was what happens when you don't have any release for your powers. No practicing, just trying to keep it all in. So maybe, with practice, you can do trickier things. And every now and then, you can just open the flood gates completely and freeze the fjord in summer, if necessary." Anna laughed. "After all, you built an _ice castle_. I don't know if you noticed, but the construction of that thing is intense. It's so intricate! You have a knack for architecture."

A warm sense of pride flooded the queen, and she finally smiled. "You think so?"

Anna nodded fervently. "Oh yeah. I'd love to see what you can do in person, when you finally just let go."

"Maybe over Yule," Elsa offered. "We can go to the plain by Hemfell. The reindeer will have migrated away by now, so there shouldn't be anyone there other than a few farmers."

Anna clapped her hands together. "Excellent!"

\---

   As Weselton has first-hand accounts of the abilities Queen Elsa possesses, it is likely they will have planned for this eventuality. As such, the next step would be to raise walls around the ships. If possible, isolating each ship would be preferred, but the wall should be no closer than ten _aln_ to each ship. Each wall should be three _aln_ in width and terminate five _aln_ above the highest deck of each ship, curving inward so as to prevent scaling.  
   At this point, RAF archers will scale the walls, laying siege to the boats. Demands of surrender will be given, with no personnel other than the captain allowed above decks.  
   Once deemed safe, Queen Elsa will then proceed to seal the hulls of each ship, preventing them from using their cannons to destroy the walls.  
   In the event that the captain(s) should choose to sacrifice their ship, blowing a hole in it in an attempt to take down the wall and therefore attack RAF forces, there are two possible responses. If capable, Queen Elsa could unfreeze the ship alone, allowing it to then sink into the water. If this option is not available, RAF forces would contain the threat, bottling the enemy in the breech until reinforcements could arrive.  
   In the event that a large scale, concerted effort is made for a ground assault, it is recommended that Queen Elsa unfreeze the ice entirely, sinking the forces already off the ships entirely. The loss to Arendelle forces would be minimal.

\---

Elsa laid the document down, giving a small sigh. "They don't ask for much, do they."

Anna reached out, snagging the paper with the tip of her fingers and pulling it towards herself. She looked it over, eyes scanning quickly over the pages. "It's radical," she offered, looking up after a moment. "And it seems to rest largely upon your ability to freeze and unfreeze the waters. The rest seems easy enough for you."

"I could build the walls, although I don't know how sturdy they'd be against a carronade," Elsa admitted with a small shrug. "Sealing the ships wouldn't be too much trouble, either."

"So then it's just a matter of whether or not you could sink the ships."

Slowly, Elsa's expression crumbled. "Oh, no. I'd end up killing them, wouldn't I?"

"What?" Anna exclaimed, sitting up. She thought furiously for a moment. "Oh. If they blow holes in their ships, or try to attack on top of the ice, unfreezing them would send them into the water."

"The currents are so strong, they'd be lost even if they didn't sink," Elsa said quietly, tears forming in her eyes.

Anna moved over, then, wrapping her arms firmly around her sister. Elsa rested her head in the crook of Anna's neck, her tears falling onto the girl's shirt. "I don't want to kill anyone," she said softly.

"Better them than us," Anna finally said. "I don't like it either, but if it means no one we know gets hurt…" She rubbed her hand on Elsa's back. "Besides, you'd be giving them every chance to surrender, first. Hopefully the captains would be smart enough to realize they should just go home."

Elsa sighed into Anna's skin. "We'd have to take all the lords off, first. Maybe ten percent of the crew. Ransom them back to Weselton."

Anna grimaced, but nodded. "Right. Can't have no repercussions for their actions." She looked for the document, finally spotting it on the floor where it had fallen in her haste to hold Elsa. "I think that was the end of that scenario, except for some more figures. They sure do love numbers, don't they?"

Elsa pulled away, rubbing one hand over her face. "They do," she said, her voice wavering slightly. "It's quite boring, really."

Reaching up with one hand to wipe away a tear, Anna smiled softly at the other girl. "Then we're done for the day? Please? Let's go outside, play in the snow."

"You just want to throw a snowball at me," Elsa teased, a bit of good humor returning to her. "You don't fool me, Princess."

"You got me," Anna said with a grin. "Can we?"

Elsa looked down, clearing her throat. "As soon as you let me up."

It was at that moment that Anna realized she was essentially sitting in her sister's lap, arms still loosely wrapped around Elsa's torso. She turned bright red as a tomato, and in her haste to get up tripped over the blanket still covering them. She landed on the floor with a crash, groaning slightly as she looked up at the ceiling.

"Are you okay?" Elsa asked with a laugh, scrambling off the couch herself to help Anna up.

"Is it too late to go back to being a beautiful, frozen, completely graceful looking statue?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry, this took a bit. I got stuck after writing the second scene, and didn't come back for several days. Finally I just threw that bit out. I think it'll make it's way back in later on, the timing was just off. Also, randomly, I find it completely frustrating that, upon watching the video for For The First Time In Forever (again, since I've seen the movie four times now), the direction Arendelle faces seems to change. First it faces south, then east, then south again, then almost due west…
> 
> A/N 2: The _sjomil_ , or sea mile, was in use before the exact distance of a nautical mile was introduced in 1929. Norway's and Sweden's both equated to approximately 4 nautical miles. As such, two sea miles would equate today to approximately 15 kilometers, or 9.3 miles. A _kvartmil_ would be 1/4 of a _sjomil_. An _aln_ (Swedish) or _alen_ (Norwegian) is approximately two feet in length. I'm sorry for the foreign measurements, but using miles, kilometers, feet and meters didn't feel right when I was writing.
> 
> A/N 3: I never plug stories for other authors, but I definitely am going to this time. If you are not reading Tempest, by [klee95 on AO3](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1109631/chapters/2233704) or [kaiserklee on FFnet](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9972423/1/Tempest), you should be. He's got an amazing AU going on that has Elsa being used as a weapon of war. His work has been inspiring, and certainly helpful in giving me a kick in the pants to keep working on this.
> 
>  
> 
> Next Chapter: "Scenario 2: Landing Force Invasion of the Fjord"


End file.
